Foam product

ABSTRACT

A foam product includes a foam core, a soft skin covering the foam core, and a base structure on which the foam core is disposed. The foam core of expanded beads has an outer surface on which some outermost beads of the expanded beads are exposed and bulging outward with different heights to form a bubbly texture. The foam skin has an inner surface attached to the outer surface of the foam core, and has at its inner surface a plurality of concave cavities each matedly surrounding a respective one of the bulging, outermost beads on the outer surface of the foam core.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a divisional application of co-pending application Ser. No.15/819,934, filed on Nov. 21, 2017.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a foam product, and more particularlyto a closed-cell foam product.

2. Description of the Related Art

Nowadays, if a foam product is too wide to be carried under the arm,such as a standup paddle board, it may employ a recessed grip handlestructure so that a user may have the fingers of a hand be inserted intothe grip handle structure to carry the paddle board under the arm.

One type of standup paddle board is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No.9,120,218. In this paddle board, the grip handle structure isconstructed from a rigid plastic material, such as Nylon™ fiber andinstalled flush into the deck of the paddle board at the center ofgravity of the board to provide the proper balance when the board iscarried using the grip handle. More specifically, the grip handlestructure is glued to the foam core of the paddle board using an epoxyresin glue.

Another type of standup paddle board is illustrated in U.S. Patent Pub.No. 2014/0315453. In this paddle board, a recess is defined in a topsurface of the foam core of the paddle board, and an upper foam skincovers the top surface of the foam core. In particular, a portion of theupper foam skin extends along the profile of the recess in the foam coreto form a grip handle structure for carrying the paddle board.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a new foam product with a different structure ascompared to the conventional foam product.

Specifically, the foam product generally includes a foam productcomprising a foam core defining in its top surface a recess, the recesshaving an inner wall; and a soft shell disposed within the recess of thefoam core and having an outer wall attached to the inner wall of therecess, wherein the soft shell has a space configured in size to receiveat least one finger of a human hand.

Preferred embodiments of the invention may have the following additionalcharacteristics, either alone or in combination:

The soft shell is made of a cross-linked polyethylene foam, wherein thecross-linked polyethylene foam is an irradiated cross-linkedpolyethylene foam. Preferably, the soft shell has a thickness of 2 mm to3 mm. Morever, the space of the soft shell has an upper space and alower, enlarged space to permit bending of the finger.

In one embodiment, the soft shell includes a shell body and a pair ofextensions extending from opposite sides of the shell body, each of theextensions has two sheets attached to each other, and the recess of thefoam core is sized and shaped to receive the soft shell.

In another embodiment, the soft shell includes a shell body and a flangeextending from a top edge of the shell body, and the recess of the foamcore is sized and shaped to receive the soft shell.

The foam core include a first foam body and a second foam body disposedin the first foam body; the second foam body is more rigid than thefirst foam body; and the recess is defined in the second foam body ofthe foam core, wherein the first foam body of the foam core comprisesexpanded polystyrene, and the second foam body of the foam corecomprises a copolymer of expanded polystyrene and expanded polyethylene.

The foam product is one of a board, a stand up paddle board, sit on topkayak, small sail boat, windsurf board, a snow board, and a skiingboard.

The present invention includes an upper foam skin with a bottom surfacebonded to the top surface of the foam core, wherein the upper foam skindefining a first hole aligned with an opening of the space of the softshell.

In one embodiment, the foam product comprises a non-foam plastic filmwith a bottom surface bonded to the top surface of the upper foam skin,wherein the non-foam plastic film defining a second hole aligned withthe first hole of the upper foam skin.

In one embodiment, the foam product includes a lower foam skin with atop surface bonded to a bottom surface of the foam core, and a non-foamplastic plate with a top surface bonded to a bottom surface of the lowerfoam skin.

In one embodiment, the foam product further comprises a foam skin with asurface bonded to a surface of the foam core, the foam core including atightly packed cluster of expanded beads, wherein some outermost beadsof the expanded beads are exposed and protruded on the surface of thefoam core, and the foam skin has at its surface a plurality of cavitiessized and shaped to respectively receive the protruded, outermost beadson the surface of the foam core.

The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of theinvention will be more readily understood upon consideration of thefollowing detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foam product in accordance with afirst embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates that the foam product shown in FIG. 1 is carried by auser;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the foam product shown inFIG. 1, showing that fingers of a hand are inserted into a recessed griphandle structure of the foam product;

FIG. 3A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the foam product shown in FIG. 1taken along the line IV-IV;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a foam core and a soft shell of the foamproduct shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 6A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a foam product in accordance with asecond embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a foam core and a soft shell of the foamproduct shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 9A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the foam product shown in FIG. 7taken along the line X-X;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the foam product shown in FIG. 7taken along the line XI-XI;

FIG. 11A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a foam product in accordance with athird embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 13 is another cross-sectional view of the foam product shown inFIG. 12;

FIG. 13A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 13B is another enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a foam product in accordance with afourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 14B is another enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a foam product in accordance with afifth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15A is an enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 15B is another enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG. 15;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a foam core and a soft shell of a foamproduct in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a partial cross-sectional view of a foam product inaccordance with a seventh embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a foam core and a soft shell of thefoam product shown in FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a top perspective view of a foam product in accordance withan eighth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20 is a bottom perspective view of the foam product shown in FIG.19;

FIG. 21 is an exploded view of the foam product shown in FIG. 19;

FIG. 22 is an exploded view of the foam product shown in FIG. 20;

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of the foam product shown in FIG. 19taken along the line XXIII-XXIII;

FIG. 23A is a partial enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG.23.

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of a foam product in accordance with aninth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 24A is a partial enlarged view of the foam product shown in FIG.24.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1-6, there is shown a first embodiment of the foamproduct 100 according to the invention. The foam product 100 is astandup paddle board with a grip handle structure 6. A user can easilyhold the foam product 100 using the grip handle structure 6 under thearm for transporting the foam product 100 in a comfortable and securemanner, as depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, the foam product 100 further includes a foam core 1,an upper foam skin 2 and a lower foam skin 3. In this embodiment, theupper foam skin 2 is shaped like a half-shell and has a bottom surfaceglued to a top surface as well as side surfaces of the foam core 1. Thelower foam skin 3 has a top surface glued to a bottom surface of thefoam core 1. The foam core 1 is made of expanded polystyrene (EPS). Theupper foam skin 2 and the lower foam skin 3 are both made of a relativesofter material, such as expanded polyethylene (EPE) and each has athickness of about 4 mm to 5 mm. The foam product 100 further includes anon-foam plastic film 4 and a non-foam plastic plate 5 for protection.The non-foam plastic film 4 has a bottom surface directly heat-laminatedto the top surface of the upper foam skin 2. The non-foam plastic film 4may be colored or printed with a pattern visible from the outside of thefilm 4. On the other hand, the non-foam plastic plate 5 is directlyheat-laminated to the bottom surface of the lower foam skin 3. And, thenon-foam plastic plate 5 is made of a wear-resistant material, such aspolyethylene (PE), with a thickness of about 0.3 mm to 1.5 mm. Referringback to FIG. 3, the grip handle structure 6 includes a soft shell 61 andan opening 62 extending through the upper foam skin 2 and the non-foamplastic film 4. The soft shell 61 is preferably made of an irradiatedcross-linked polyethylene foam, with a thickness of about 2 mm to 3 mm.

FIG. 5 illustrates the foam core 1 with a recess 10 in which the softshell 61 is disposed. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 6A, the foam core 1includes a tightly packed cluster of expanded beads 11. Each of theexpanded beads 11 is made of a pre-expanded polystyrene bead. The foamcore 1 defines the recess 10 in its top surface. The recess 10 has anupper space 101 and a lower, enlarged space 102. The soft shell 61 issuited in the recess 10 of the foam core 1 and has an upper space (notnumbered) configured in size to receive four fingers of a human hand,and a lower, enlarged space (not numbered) to permit bending of thefingers, as shown in FIG. 3, as well.

It is noted that, some outermost beads 11 of the expanded beads 11 areexposed and bulging outward from the inner wall of the recess 10 of thefoam core 1 with different heights to form a bubbly texture T. The softshell 61 has its outer wall bonded to the inner wall of the recess 10 ofthe foam core 1. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 6A, thesoft shell 61 has a plurality of concave cavities 610 at its outer wall.Each of the concave cavities 610 of the soft shell 61 matedly surroundsa respective one of the bulging, outermost beads 11 in the recess 10 ofthe foam core 1. In contrast, the inner wall of the soft shell 61 isrelatively more flat than the outer wall of the soft shell 61. In otherwords, the concave cavities 610 are defined only in the outer wall ofthe soft shell 61, not the inner wall of the soft shell 61. The softshell 61 and the foam core 1 are firmly bonded together due to theinter-engaged convex and concave surfaces between the soft shell 61 andthe foam core 1. Besides, it should be noted that the soft shell 61 andthe foam core 1 may be directly heat bonded to each other with similarmaterials. Alternatively, an adhesive may be employed in between thesoft shell 61 and the foam core 1 to further enhance the bonding betweenthe two.

Referring to FIGS. 7-11, there is shown a second embodiment of the foamproduct 200 according to the invention. The foam product 200 of thesecond embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 100 of thefirst embodiment in appearance, and has a grip handle structure 6 forbeing grasped. However, the foam product 200 is slightly different fromthe foam product 100 in the interior structure. For example, the foamcore 1 of the foam product 100 is made of a single foam body with thesame material; however, the foam product 200 is a combination of twofoam bodies with different materials and densities.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the foam core 1 and the softshell 61 of the foam product 200. As shown, the foam core 1 includes afirst foam body 1 a and a second foam body 1 b embedded in the firstfoam body 1 a. Specifically, the second foam body 1 b is more rigid thanthe first foam body 1 a. The recess 10 is defined in the second foambody 1 b of the foam core 1. The first foam body 1 a is made of expandedpolystyrene, and the second foam body 1 b is made of a copolymer ofexpanded polystyrene and expanded polyethylene. As best seen in FIG. 9,the recess 10 has an upper space 101 and a lower, enlarged space 102.The soft shell 61 is suited in the recess 10 of the second foam body 1 bof the foam core 1, and has an upper space (not numbered) configured insize to receive four fingers of a human hand, and a lower, enlargedspace (not numbered) to permit bending of the fingers, as shown in FIG.9.

As shown in FIG. 10, the foam product 200 further includes an upper foamskin 2 and a lower foam skin 3. The upper foam skin 2 is shaped like ahalf-shell and has a bottom surface glued to a top surface as well asside surfaces of the foam core 1. The lower foam skin 3 has a topsurface glued to a bottom surface of the foam core 1. The upper foamskin 2 and the lower foam skin 3 are both made of a relative softermaterial, such as expanded polyethylene (EPE) and each has a thicknessof about 4 mm to 5 mm. The foam product 200 further includes a non-foamplastic film 4 and a non-foam plastic plate 5 for protection. Thenon-foam plastic film 4 has a bottom surface directly heat-laminated tothe top surface of the upper foam skin 2. And, the non-foam plastic film4 may be colored or printed with a pattern visible from the outside ofthe film 4. The non-foam plastic plate 5 is directly heat-laminated tothe bottom surface of the lower foam skin 3. And, the non-foam plasticplate 5 is made of a wear-resistant material, such as polyethylene (PE),with a thickness of about 0.3 mm to 1.5 mm. As shown in FIG. 11, thegrip handle structure 6 includes a soft shell 61 and an opening 62extending through the upper foam skin 2 and the non-foam plastic film 4.The soft shell 61 is preferably made of an irradiated cross-linkedpolyethylene foam, with a thickness of about 2 mm to 3 mm.

Referring back to FIGS. 9 and 9A, the second foam body 1 b of the foamcore 1 includes a tightly packed cluster of expanded beads 11. Each ofthe expanded beads 11 is made of a pre-expanded bead. Similarly, thefirst foam body 1 a of the foam core 1 is made of a tightly packedcluster of expanded beads 11, not shown, but with a different material.As shown in FIGS. 11 and 11A, some outermost beads 11 of the expandedbeads 11 are exposed and bulging outward from the inner wall of therecess 10 of the second foam body 1 b with different heights to form abubbly texture T. The soft shell 61 has its outer wall attached to theinner wall of the recess 10 of the foam core 1. More specifically, thesoft shell 61 has a plurality of concave cavities 610 at its outer wall.Each of the concave cavities 610 of the soft shell 61 matedly surroundsa respective one of the bulging, outermost beads 11 in the recess 10 ofthe second foam body 1 b. In contrast, the inner wall of the soft shell61 is relatively more flat than the outer wall of the soft shell 61. Inthis manner, the soft shell 61 and the second foam body 1 b are firmlybonded together due to the inter-engaged convex and concave surfacesbetween the soft shell 61 and the second foam body 1 b. It should benoted that the soft shell 61 and the second foam body 1 b may bedirectly heat bonded to each other with similar materials.Alternatively, an adhesive may further be employed to further enhancethe bonding of the soft shell 61 and the second foam body 1 b.

Referring to FIGS. 12-13, there is shown a third embodiment of the foamproduct 300 according to the invention. The foam product 300 of thethird embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 200 of thesecond embodiment in appearance and in structure. For example, the foamcore 1 of the foam product 300 also includes a first foam body 1 a and asecond foam body 1 b. However, the foam core 1 and the upper foam skin 2of the foam product 300 are bonded in a different manner.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 12A, some outermost beads 11 of the expandedbeads are exposed and bulging outward from the top surface of the firstfoam body 1 a of the foam core 1 with different heights to form a bubblytexture T. Referring to FIG. 13, the upper foam skin 2 has at its bottomsurface a plurality of concave cavities 20 each matedly surrounding arespective one of the bulging, outermost beads 11 on the top surface ofthe first foam body 1 a, except that a small area of the bottom surfaceof the upper foam skin 2 is adhered to the top surface of the secondfoam body 1 b. In other words, the upper foam skin 2 is partly bonded tothe second foam body 1 b via adhesives, and is mostly bonded to thefirst foam body 1 a via the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces,as shown in FIG. 13A.

Likewise, the soft shell 61 is bonded to the second foam body 1 b viathe inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces, as shown in FIG. 13B.

Referring to FIGS. 14, 14A and 14B, there is shown a fourth embodimentof the foam product 400 according to the invention. The foam product 400of the fourth embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 300of the third embodiment. For example, the foam core 1 of the foamproduct 400 includes a first foam body 1 a and a second foam body (notshown); and the upper foam skin 2 is bonded to the first foam body 1 avia the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces, as shown in FIG. 14B.However, unlike the third embodiment, the foam core 1 and the lower foamskin 3 of the foam product 400 of this fourth embodiment are bonded in adifferent manner, as shown in FIG. 14A.

In FIG. 14A, some outermost beads 11 of the expanded beads are exposedand bulging outward from the bottom surface of the first foam body 1 aof the foam core 1 with different heights to form a bubbly texture T.The lower foam skin 3 has at its top surface a plurality of concavecavities 30 each matedly surrounding a respective one of the bulging,outermost beads 11 on the bottom surface of the first foam body 1 a. Assuch, the lower foam skin 3 is firmly bonded to the first foam body 1 avia the inter-engaged convex and concave surfaces as well.

Referring to FIGS. 15, 15A and 15B, there is shown a fifth embodiment ofthe foam product 500 according to the invention. The foam product 500 ofthe fifth embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 400 ofthe fourth embodiment, except that a non-foam plastic film 35 isinterposed in between the lower foam skin 3 and the non-foam plasticplate 5.

In practice, the expanded beads of the foam core 1 may be made ofexpanded polypropylene or expanded polystyrene. The upper foam skin 2may be made of expanded polyethylene. The upper non-foam plastic film 4may be made of ethylene. Furthermore, the upper foam skin 2 has athickness greater than that of the foam core 1, but smaller than that ofthe upper non-foam plastic film 4.

It is noted that, the foam product 500 has a base structure whichincludes the lower foam skin or layer 3 bonded to the bottom, innersurface of the foam core 1, the non-foam plastic plate 5 joined to thebottom surface of the foam layer 3, the non-foam plastic film 35interposed in between the foam layer 3 and the non-foam plastic plate 5,and a pattern (not shown) printed on the non-foam plastic film 35 andvisible through the non-foam plastic plate 5. Preferably, the non-foamplastic film 35 and the non-foam plastic plate 5 may both be made ofethylene.

Referring to FIG. 16, there is shown a sixth embodiment of the foamproduct 600 according to the invention. The foam product 600 of thesixth embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 300 of thethird embodiment. For example, the foam core 1 of the foam product 600includes a first foam body 1 a and a second foam body 1 b; and the upperfoam skin 1 is bonded to the first foam body 1 a via the inter-engagedconvex and concave surfaces. However, the soft shell 61 of the foamproduct 600 is slightly different from that of the foam product 300.

As shown in FIG. 16, the soft shell 61 includes a shell body 611 and apair of extensions 612 extending from opposite sides of the shell body611.

Each of the extensions 612 has two sheets (not numbered) attached toeach other. The recess 10 of the second foam body 1 b of the foam core 1is sized and shaped to receive the whole soft shell 61, namely both theshell body 611 and the extensions 612.

Referring to FIGS. 17 and 18, there is shown a seventh embodiment of thefoam product 700 according to the invention. The foam product 700 of theseventh embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 300 of thethird embodiment. For example, the foam core 1 of the foam product 700includes a first foam body 1 a and a second foam body 1 b; and the upperfoam skin 1 is bonded to the first foam body 1 a via the inter-engagedconvex and concave surfaces. However, the soft shell 61 of the foamproduct 700 is slightly different from that of the foam product 300.

As shown in FIG. 17 or 18, the soft shell 61 includes a shell body 611and a flange 613 extending from a top edge of the shell body 611. Therecess 10 of the second foam body 1 b of the foam core 1 is sized andshaped to receive the whole soft shell 61, namely both the shell body611 and the flange 613.

As described above, the present invention provides a foam product inwhich the soft shell and/or the foam skin may be firmly bonded to thefoam core using the characteristic of the expanded beads of the foamcore. The foam product may be one of a stand up paddle board, sit on topkayak, small sail boat, a windsurf board, a snow board, a skiing board,and other craft boards that are too wide to be carried under the arm. Itis noted that the foam product is not limited to be shaped like a boardor plate. Instead, the foam product would be non-flattened with adifferent shape.

Referring to FIGS. 19 to 23, there is shown an eighth embodiment of thefoam product 800 according to the invention. The foam product 800 of theeighth embodiment is directed to a bicycle saddle having a foamstructure similar to that of the aforementioned embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 19, the foam product 800 in form of a bicycle saddleincludes a base structure 7, and a saddle cushion 8 mounted on the basestructure 7. As shown in FIG. 20, the base structure 7 generallyincludes a saddle shell 71 and a support rail 72 mounted underneath thesaddle shell 71, as known in the art. As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, thesaddle shell 71 has a flat top surface 710 bonded to a flat bottomsurface 810 of the saddle cushion 8 with adhesives, for example.Preferably, the saddle shell 71 is made of a fiber-reinforced plastic.

As best seen in FIG. 23, the saddle cushion 8 of the bicycle saddle 800generally includes a foam core 81, a foam skin 82 and a non-foam plasticfilm 83. The foam core 81 has its flat bottom surface 810 bonded to theflat top surface of the saddle shell 71 of the base structure 7 withadhesives. The foam skin 82 has an inner surface attached to the outersurface of the foam core 81, and the non-foam plastic film 83 isdisposed on an outer surface of the foam skin 82. A pattern (not shown)may be printed on an inner surface of the non-foam plastic film 83 andsandwiched in between the foam skin 82 and the non-foam plastic film 83.Moreover, the foam skin 82 has a thickness greater than that of the foamcore 81, but smaller than that of the non-foam plastic film 83. It isunderstood that, the foam core 81 serves as a padding of the bicyclesaddle 800, and the foam skin 82 along with the non-foam plastic film 83serves as an overlying layer covering the padding.

As depicted in FIG. 23A, the foam core 81 of the saddle cushion 8includes a tightly packed cluster of expanded beads 811. Each of theexpanded beads 811 may be made of a pre-expanded polypropylene bead, apre-expanded polystyrene bead, a pre-expanded polyethylene bead or apre-expanded polystyrene-polyethylene composite bead. The foam core 81of the expanded beads has an outer surface on which some outermost beadsof the expanded beads 811 are exposed and bulging outward with differentheights to form a bubbly texture T. On the other hand, the foam skin 82has an inner surface attached to the outer surface of the foam core 81,and has at its inner surface a plurality of concave cavities 820 eachmatedly surrounding a respective one of the bulging, outermost beads 811on the outer surface of the foam core 8. The foam skin 82 and the foamcore 81 are firmly bonded together due to the inter-engaged convex andconcave surfaces therebetween. Besides, it should be noted that the foamskin 82 and the foam core 81 may be directly heat bonded to each otherwith similar materials. Alternatively, an adhesive may be employed inbetween the foam skin 82 and the foam core 81 to further enhance thebonding between the two. In contrast, the outer surface of the foam skin82 is relatively more flat than the inner surface of the foam skin 82and is bonded with the non-foam plastic film 83.

As described above, the expanded beads of the foam core 81 may comprisea material of expanded polyolefin, expanded polystyrene or copolymers.The foam skin 82 may comprise a material of expanded polyethylene orexpanded polypropylene with a thickness of about 2 mm. The non-foamplastic film 83 may be made of a wear-resistant material, such aspolyethylene (PE) or a Surlyn® resin, with a thickness of about 0.03 to0.3 mm. As is known in the art, the Surlyn® resin is a copolymer ofethylene and methacrylic acid manufactured by DuPont, and generally hasbetter wear resistance than the polyethylene.

Referring to FIGS. 24 and 24A, there is shown a ninth embodiment of thefoam product 900 according to the invention. The foam product 900 of theninth embodiment is generally identical to the foam product 800 of theeighth embodiment, except that the saddle cushion 8 a is slightlydifferent from the saddle cushion 8 shown in FIG. 23. That is to say, asecond, non-foam plastic film 84 is further employed on an outer surfaceof the first non-foam plastic film 83. And, the second non-foam plasticfilm 84 is more wear-resistant than the first non-foam plastic film 83.In this embodiment, the first non-foam plastic film 83 is made ofethylene, and the second non-foam plastic film 84 is made of the Surlyn®resin with a thickness of about 0.6 mm.

It should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and thatvarious changes may be made by adding, modifying or eliminating detailswithout departing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in thisdisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A foam product comprising: a foam core definingin its top surface a recess, the recess having an inner wall; and a softshell disposed within the recess of the foam core and having an outerwall attached to the inner wall of the recess, wherein the soft shellhas a space configured in size to receive at least one finger of a humanhand
 2. The foam product as recited in claim 1, wherein the soft shellis made of a cross-linked polyethylene foam.
 3. The foam product asrecited in claim 2, wherein the cross-linked polyethylene foam is anirradiated cross-linked polyethylene foam.
 4. The foam product asrecited in claim 3, wherein the soft shell has a thickness of 2 mm to 3mm.
 5. The foam product as recited in claim 1, wherein the space of thesoft shell has an upper space and a lower, enlarged space to permitbending of the finger.
 6. The foam product as recited in claim 1,wherein the soft shell includes a shell body and a pair of extensionsextending from opposite sides of the shell body, each of the extensionshas two sheets attached to each other, and the recess of the foam coreis sized and shaped to receive the soft shell.
 7. The foam product asrecited in claim 1, wherein the soft shell includes a shell body and aflange extending from a top edge of the shell body, and the recess ofthe foam core is sized and shaped to receive the soft shell.
 8. The foamproduct as recited in claim 1, wherein the foam core include a firstfoam body and a second foam body disposed in the first foam body; thesecond foam body is more rigid than the first foam body; and the recessis defined in the second foam body of the foam core.
 9. The foam productas recited in claim 8, wherein the first foam body of the foam corecomprises expanded polystyrene, and the second foam body of the foamcore comprises a copolymer of expanded polystyrene and expandedpolyethylene.
 10. The foam product as recited in claim 1, wherein thefoam product is one of a board, a stand up paddle board, sit on topkayak, small sail boat, windsurf board, a snow board, and a skiingboard.
 11. The foam product as recited in claim 1, further comprising anupper foam skin with a bottom surface bonded to the top surface of thefoam core, wherein the upper foam skin defining a first hole alignedwith an opening of the space of the soft shell.
 12. The foam product asrecited in claim 11, further comprising a non-foam plastic film with abottom surface bonded to the top surface of the upper foam skin, whereinthe non-foam plastic film defining a second hole aligned with the firsthole of the upper foam skin.
 13. The foam product as recited in claim 8,further comprising an upper foam skin with a bottom surface bonded tothe top surface of the foam core, wherein the upper foam skin defining afirst hole aligned with an opening of the space of the soft shell. 14.The foam product as recited in claim 13, further comprising a non-foamplastic film with a bottom surface bonded to the top surface of theupper foam skin, wherein the non-foam plastic film defining a secondhole aligned with the first hole of the upper foam skin.
 15. The foamproduct as recited in claim 11, further comprising a lower foam skinwith a top surface bonded to a bottom surface of the foam core, and anon-foam plastic plate with a top surface bonded to a bottom surface ofthe lower foam skin.
 16. The foam product as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising a foam skin with a surface bonded to a surface of the foamcore, the foam core including a tightly packed cluster of expandedbeads, wherein some outermost beads of the expanded beads are exposedand protruded on the surface of the foam core, and the foam skin has atits surface a plurality of cavities sized and shaped to respectivelyreceive the protruded, outermost beads on the surface of the foam core.